50th anniversary of the moon landing

[jb747]

There is an Apollo 11 documentary that was released recently. It's well worth tracking down. Not only is there a lot of new film, but it's has all been restored, and then transferred in very high definition.

The astronauts' books make interesting reading too. Mike Collins is probably the best. Not ghost written, and he has a very readable style. I've been looking at a couple of shuttle era books too. The more I read about it, the more dangerous it becomes. Not the basic machinery, but the layout, and the lack of an escape system.

 

[flyer89]

A few could name them all. Can any of you, without looking it up....?

I can but only because I’m a NASA geek. I grew up as a space shuttle kid and as I’ve gotten older I’ve expanded my interest. If I ever get a jet command one day my gift to myself will be an Omega Speedmaster. Everyone needs to look like a w@$ker at some point.

 

[jb747]

I can but only because I’m a NASA geek. I grew up as a space shuttle kid and as I’ve gotten older I’ve expanded my interest. If I ever get a jet command one day my gift to myself will be an Omega Speedmaster. Everyone needs to look like a w@$ker at some point.

SOs and FOs have that sort of watch.

 

[opusman]

Missed it by => <= that much

 

[JohnM]

SOs and FOs have that sort of watch.

Do Captains have a Mickey Mouse watch - that still tells the time?

 

[jb747]

Do Captains have a Mickey Mouse watch - that still tells the time?

We've worked out that there is one on the instrument panel....

 

[JohnM]

We've worked out that there is one on the instrument panel....

I hope one of the technicians has stuck ‘Breitling’ on the dial to make it a real aviator’s clock to tell the same time even better.

 

[Denali]

I can but only because I’m a NASA geek. I grew up as a space shuttle kid and as I’ve gotten older I’ve expanded my interest. If I ever get a jet command one day my gift to myself will be an Omega Speedmaster. Everyone needs to look like a w@$ker at some point.

For about 20yrs Ive had a heat tile from the Russian shuttle program. I was working for a company working on the Buran shuttle and as a joke one day I said bring me back a heat tile. And they did. Took it off the shuttle.

 

[flyer89]

For about 20yrs Ive had a heat tile from the Russian shuttle program. I was working for a company working on the Buran shuttle and as a joke one day I said bring me back a heat tile. And they did. Took it off the shuttle.

I’m rather envious. A highlight of my life was being able to touch and stand under Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center a couple of years ago. If I had more money than sense I think one of the things I would do would be to buy up Apollo era memorabilia.

 

[mrsterryn]

I was at Grace Bros at Chatswood. School was dismissed and so of course I went to Chatswood. Supposed to have gone straight to my mother's work...I didn't .I watched it at GB they have it through TVs in the store

 

[kookaburra75]

For those old enough, what do you remember doing at the time? I have a memory of being in school, a 9 yo, and we watched it on TV.

I was in Grade 4 at Bundoora Primary in Victoria, and luckily one of the other pupils was able to go home and bring in a 14" tv - which we all huddled around and watched for the rest of the day.
I remember watching a doco a long time ago where they were talking with the engineers from Grumman who built the lunar module. It was an amazing engineering feat, doing something that no one had done before

 

[trooper]

Mike Collins book (Carrying the Fire - An Astronauts Journey IIRC) is an excellent read... Must dig it out and read it again!

 

[OATEK]

I was in my first year at work, but was off sick that day. So I shared my first "sickie" with the first moon landing!!

I had a Brownie 127 camera and took a couple of photos of the landing (from our TV).

 

[RooFlyer]

Mike Collins book (Carrying the Fire - An Astronauts Journey IIRC) is an excellent read... Must dig it out and read it again!

Thanks - must get that one.

My favorites:

The man who ran the moon. By Piers Bizony. About James Webb, the guy who built up NASA from the ground up, fought for the funding, staffed it and designed the methods etc. If you are into studies of management, this is for you.

Flight. My life in Mission Control. By Chris Craft. Another one who moulded NASA - and became the long term Flight Director / Mission Controller.

Space Race by Deborah Cadbury ... about the US/USSR space race

To a Rocky Moon. A geologist's history of lunar exploration. (natch ) By Don Wilhems

 

[Quickstatus]

I believed I had achieved toilet training in 1969 so unable to comment

 

[straitman]

I was at school at University high School in Melbourne. We had set the school hall up with TV sets but then most didn't get to see anything as we had a bomb threat.

A few could name them all. Can any of you, without looking it up....?

I cannot name all twelve but last year on the Queen Mary 2 we met the wife of the late Alan Bean (4th to walk on the moon). It was Space Week during our trip and there was a great interest in everything to do with space.

 

[Denali]

For space fans in NZ July 20th

 

[Hvr]

For space fans in NZ July 20th

SOFIA Open Day

** PLEASE NOTE: Public tickets are now SOLD OUT ** NASA and DLR’s flying Observatory SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) is in Christchurch and is offering you one chance to tour, between 11am and 3:30pm on Saturday July 20. The last boarding time is 3:00pm. In order to...

www.eventbrite.co.nz

It looks like it's only open to NZ citizens.

 

[Quickstatus]

There would be many who don’t realise they actually are

 

[Toula92122]

I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I was in grade 2 at primary school in Adelaide and we were all rounded up and taken to the TV room to watch the landing on the black and white telly. Not sure that I grasped the importance of what I was watching.